Spells You Can Cast Today for Free

Author: Quill / Labels: , ,

A reoccurring theme is the newcomer asking how to be a witch without spending money.  Beautiful robes, vials of oil, colorful gems, and shining tools whisper words of power to them and they are sorely tempted to spend money they do not possess.  And, sadly, some of the biggest names in the magical community give a wholly unsatisfying answer:

"You don't need anything to practice magic; all that you need is inside you!"


But I am here to tell you a painful truth--magic is in the things. Herbs, stones, sigils, metals, bones, rocks, feathers...these are components and they are the body of spellwork.  Sure, the spirit that is within you is the fuel that makes magic work--and that is essential--but each physical object added to the spell is another limb to be animated by that spirit. Give it physicality and you give it a body of immense strength to work your will in the world.  You can act on spirit alone but, unless you are at the top of your game, it will be a ghost of its potential.


So my spells generally require "things"--easily-found and inexpensive things--but they are not cheap.  I have an extreme dislike for things like birthday candles and nylon yarn so you won't find any of that stuff here.  Instead, what I'm about to hand you is pure traditional folk magic with a thrifty modern twist.   The goal is not to use less but to use more wisely.   Everything here is original and you may enjoy it at your leisure.  Perhaps even casting it today!


Health and Healing

  • To Protect Against Injury: Wash a locket in hot salt water and dry carefully with a handkerchief.  Cut a tiny piece of paper to fit inside and write upon it the following words: LIGHT, BEFF, CLETEMATI, ADONAI, CLEONA, FLERIT.  Press this paper inside while reciting the words.  Fill the locket with a pinch of yellow mustard seed and snap shut.  Place the locket around your neck (or the neck of another whom you wish to protect) while speaking the words a final time.  Now the talisman will be a safeguard against physical and spiritual harm anytime it is worn.
  • To Protect Against Disease:  At the end of summer, dig up a few dandelion roots from your yard and scrub them clean under running water.  Chop them up and drop a spoonful in with  coffee grounds before brewing.  Add a pinch of cinnamon to purify and vanilla for energy. Brew while chanting: STRENGTH AGAINST, STRENGTH WITHIN. TAKE ME THROUGH TO WINTER'S END.  Drink your coffee this way throughout the cold and flu season to assure that illness passes you by.


Love

  • To Bring Love Home to Your Door:  Chop Ladies Thumb herb fine and gather in a large bowl.  After dark on a full moon, remove your shoes, let down your hair, and take your bowl of Ladies Thumb outside.  Bow to the moon who makes the ties that bind lovers' hearts, walk to the roadside, and turn to face your home.  Begin to strew the herbs in a path that leads from the
    road all the way to your doorstep. Visualize making a path that only perspective lovers can see and by which they are compelled to travel.  Pour out any remaining herbs on the doormat, bow to the moon again, then return inside.  By the time the moon is full again, you will have your choice of love interests.
  • To Cause Loving Feelings Toward You:  Make a batch of sugar cookies using your normal recipe but add a spoonful of lemon juice and zest.  Roll it out, placing a kiss upon the dough with each roll.  Cut the cookies into "gingerbread man" shapes and bake.  Remove the cookies from the oven and dip the tops in vanilla sugar, telling each little man his instructions: MAKE HIM (or say target's name) LOVE ME BY YOUR WILES. I AM SWEET AND I BEGUILE.

Money

  • To Increase Your Business' Prosperity:  Chop or grate Yellow Dock root and add to a bottle of strong spirits.  Shake 7 times while chanting the name of your business and words like "GREAT SUCCESS."  Put the bottle away, only bringing it out to shake again every time you think of it.  If you have a disparaging thought about your work or your customers, pick up the bottle and give it another 7 shakes while chanting.  After closing time that day, pour out a little of the alcohol onto your palm and wash the doorknobs to all entrances of your business while thinking of all the happy customers whose hands will touch it.  Sprinkle a little on the threshold, then replace your bottle to its safe storage.  Keep it nearby for times of slow sales.  This will encourage customers to come to your door, ready to spend.
  • To Draw Money and Good Luck:  Find a Buckeye or Horse Chestnut (I've found no difference between the two for magical purposes) and bring it home.  Mix a few pinches of as many money herbs as you have on hand and pour a little oil over them.  Mix well with your fingers until you have a paste.  Rub this paste all over your Buckeye and wrap in a crisp new dollar bill.  Tie this bundle together with green thread and carry it in your pocket or in a conjure bag of other fortunate items.  Money will come to you and stay.

Protection

  • To Guard Yourself While Traveling:  Before embarking on any long trip, especially when going by boat or plane overseas, toss Bladderwrack on the wind to appease the spirits and bless your journey with the words: I OFFER THEE OF THE SEA THIS GIFT IN LIEU OF GUARDING ME.  KEEP ME SAFE, OCEAN WRAITH, AND THEN RETURN ME BACK TO STAY.
  • Protection Against Witch Wars:  Blend Dill seed and coarse sea salt together in a bowl.  Mix with your hands in a counterclockwise direction while envisioning all spells against you being turned with your motions and ground in the bitter grit of salt.  Scatter this around the rooms in your home, especially in the corners.  This destroys plots against you and safeguards you against further curses.

Power

  • To Increase One's Psychic Power:  Cook the whole of a hyssop plant, celery seed, and anise seed together in a pot of boiling water.  Turn the heat off and let stand overnight.  Strain the next morning and add an equal amount of alcohol.  Add a quart of this wash to your bathwater and soak in it before attempting spirit contact, astral travel, or important ritual work.
  • To Call Spirits to Visible Appearance: Arrange a cauldron of fresh water from a stream, spring, or river over a fire and allow to boil.  Toss in handfuls of Mullein leaf while calling the name of the spirit to be conjured.  Circle around the fire clockwise, brandish a tool of commanding (usually a knife or wand), and speak evocations aloud until manifestation occurs. When you have completed you business with the entity, tip over the cauldron spilling its contents and extinguishing the fire.   

As you can see, you needn't cheapen your work with lesser quality components nor forgo magic altogether, as many have been tempted to do, for lack of funds.  Keep an eye for beauty and depth and the rest will come at will.



If you have enjoyed these spells--as well as the concept of timeless, thrifty magic--you will love my upcoming book, Back to the Land with Witchcraft: Natural Secrets of Beautiful, Affordable, Powerful Magic.  Keep watching this blog as I continue the long road to publishing.


Related reading includes Money Magic for Poor Folks

Images from:

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brianvantighem.photoshelter.com

3 Reasons You'll Never Find a Coven

Author: Quill / Labels:

Without the benefit of advertising or proselytizing, most magical groups are deep underground.   There are, of course, in-roads you can take to membership, but you need to know a few simple things

if you're ever going to find them.

If you've ever thought of joining a coven you've probably dreamed of what it would be like to work together as a great magical family, meeting in secret groves or brightly lit living rooms, enacting rituals and spells that have a ring of beauty and power you've never experienced before.  That can happen...or it might not.  That would be my first piece of advice: don't get ahead of yourself and expect to discover the perfect coven (or, better yet, to seek you out).  Look instead for the right fit, good people, and a place where your talents can be of use.

One more thought before we tuck in.  Don't be lured by the suggestion you will undoubtedly hear that you should just start your own coven.  Please note that this method is no easier.  You haven't found some grand workaround that will make the road to adepthood a quick trip.  Being in charge of a group of like-minded but still fiercely independent people is a hard job and without a little training--and a whole lot of patience--you may find yourself lost in just as many power struggles, arguments, money woes, and abuses of power as would have been possible as a joining member to a group hosted by strangers.

It is my belief, too, that a single large group is more effective and prosperous than ten small groups.  Unless you have a very different outlook from any existing coven, always try to band together with fellow practitioners.  Large groups host events, plan trips, maintain group documents and books, and offer services that smaller covens cannot.  Try to always combine your efforts with others.

But that is only an issue once you've found a coven within driving distance, of an appropriate age group, with similar practices, who seek new members, and with whom you are interested in joining.  There's a lot that can go wrong from the moment you realize what a great idea it would be until you even get the chance to see it in action.  For simplicity, we're going to talk about the 3 most glaring problems as I have seen them.


1. You don't have enough exposure to the magical community.
As an underground resource, you're not going to have access to names, numbers, or locations unless you know someone.  And you're not going to know anyone with this information unless you meet people.  This means getting out where other practitioners are and involving yourself.  Where to begin?

  • Find an in-road and take it.  Anyone you meet can possibly lead you to corners of the magical community you have not yet seen.  If you get word that a divination workshop is being offered next month or overhear some familiar magical phrases in passing, put yourself into the discussion and learn more.  Be polite, naturally, but don't let manners keep you from a possible connection with the broader magical world.
  • When you make a connection, expand on it.  Does the person you're speaking with know other practitioners?  Do they host or attend events?  Have they been to festivals, workshops, or public talks in your area?  Ask about their background, tradition, and experiences.  Offer your own.
  • If given the chance, work at festivals and events.  Most of the workers in these places are volunteers, others are working off their admittance fee.  But whatever your situation, you will be certain to meet others who are involved in the occult.
  • Be sure to never walk away without getting full names and contact information.  
  • If you find a magical shop in your area, ask about its calendar of events.  Get to know the shop keeper and other regular shoppers.  Businesses are often a hub for covens.
2. Fears About Cult Behavior
Though it is important to be watchful of dangers to yourself and your family, the actual statistics for cultish behavior in covens is still quite low.  Much of the "bad" things that go on in groups are more about collective ego issues than any dedicated manipulation with intent to harm.  

  • Carefully read Isaac Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame to see what a cult really looks like.  It's terrifying from the outside but (from accounts) comfortable and reassuring inside.  
  • Watch a documentary or read personal experiences of past cult members.  If this sort of thing is a major concern for you, do this before you get involved in a group so you will be able to keep a balanced view.

If you are involved in a coven and they tell you to do something illegal, immoral, or dangerous, beware.  If they ask you to do something difficult, perhaps you should step up to the challenge before crying "cult!"  

If this seems obvious, note that my requests for completed homework from my students have at times been met with angry resistance at my "abuse of power."  Our coven's need for collecting dues to pay for events and trips was considered devious by a member or two in their time.  Know the realistic expectations concerning control and benefit.

3.  Too Much Focus on Individuality
A wonderful aspect of group work is the talent each member brings to the whole.  Too much effort to remain distinct, though, will prevent a coven from coming together effectively.  Know that to make it in a group, some of your preferences, opinions, and tastes must take a backseat.  The same thing goes for every other member.   But this is a good thing:
  • Groups with solid cohesion build tradition, host events, work with other covens, and make elaborate magic.  Do you want that?  You'll have to work together.
  • Get to know your covenmates on a deep level.  Connect with them.  The group mind is more powerful than the individual.  This is how powerful spells are cast.
  • Ask questions, start discussions, posit topics to debate.  Ask for ideas, make plans, dream for your collective future.  Find ways to interact with other members in a personal, intellectual way.  
  • Seek out ways that your coven can benefit your goals in magic.  Groups are able to hone an individual's talents and elevate their practice.  



Coven membership is a relationship; give and take is essential.  Consider it with the same care as you would when entering a romantic relationship. Use your best judgement when mixing with new people, but know that a solid bond will require understanding and forgiveness in order to flourish. Think well on the benefits of the relationship as well as the costs to your time and independence. This part of the decision cannot be strongly enough stressed.  

But once you're in, love and love completely.


Images from:

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thedascrypt.blogspot.com

Money Magic for Poor Folks

Author: Quill / Labels:

Nothing is quite so popular as the money spell (I know, love spells are a close second.  We'll talk about that later).  Magic to bring opportunity, better jobs, raises in pay, refunded loans, windfalls, and plain ol' hard currency about in books and online.  They come from all times in history and any
country you can name.  Some are so simple as to seem too mundane to work and others are so richly executed one can hardly afford to try.  I recall reading one in Sarah Lyddon Morrison's "Modern Witch's Spellbook" that required a diamond ring in order to be cast.  Really.  An actual diamond ring. Like the average cash-strapped witch has both outstanding bills and diamonds.  I know I've mentioned it before but that book is garbage, and there was another example.
So, moving on, a main point to be made is this--when funds are low, don't waste money on magic. Now that certainly sounds weird coming from me, but there's a rider to it that makes it all come together: spending judiciously and with the greatest care can be an expert way to increase your devotion to the work (and therefore it's potency) but to blow cash on every trinket you see that promises wealth is a grievous mistake.  Money is a resource, and in this case a precious one; use it with discretion.

To maximize your efforts, begin with small free forms of magic and then build up to larger works that require some outlay.  Some of the best methods to start:


  • Recite prosperity charms several times a day.  Upon waking, at noon, and before sleep is a good start, but also consider times like before leaving for work, when opening the mail, and every time you have to spend money.
  • Arrange an altar dedicated to success.  Show value you have now alongside what you hope to attain.  This isn't a worship space; instead it's a diorama of your desires.  Add some lucky objects, prosperous tarot cards or runes, and photos of yourself happy and carefree.
  • Post affirmations around your home and work space.  Some of the worst things we can do to our magic is sabotage it with a mindset that breeds failure.  
  • Cook with foods and herbs that are linked to prosperity.  Start with a list like this and grow from there.  Bake with grains and focus on abundance.  You are the giver of your own bounty.

From there you can increase your efforts into more complex works.  Beginning small helps you to see that every little change helps to set the pace for the large changes to come.  Once you are able to feel a positive presence of success in your mind, see it in your surroundings, and focus on it in your day-
to-day activities, you are ready to have it working for you on the grand scale.  Try one or more of the following at this juncture: 
  • Make a poppet of yourself and stuff with money herbs. Put a fat wallet in its hand, cover it in gold paint, draw money sigils upon it, or otherwise adorn it with wealth.  
  • Dress your money with money-drawing oil before spending it.  Now don't go crazy--just a dab on the corner is plenty--but dressing money helps it return to you.  If you must spend, bring it back again as quickly as possible!  This works with all kinds of money oil, so find a recipe that calls for what you already have in your cupboards and go with it!
  • Work knot spells to hold onto your cash.  There's always the standard "By knot of one, this spell's begun..." method, but there are a lot of knots out there and a lot of ways to work with them.  You might find, like myself, that knot-tying suits your magic well and use it for many purposes besides.
  • House and personal cleansings.  I often say this but it bears repeating--most of the "stuck" situations we find ourselves in are from the bad stuff that clings to us and gobs up the spaces in our lives.  Create a fresh flow in your home and your person to allow new possibilities--including wealth, work, and stability--to enter.
As you can see, magic doesn't need to bee expensive but it does need to be carefully crafted. Laziness is not the same as thriftiness.  You have more at your disposal than you may realize.  Great systems of magic are based on simple things like paper and rope.  There is nothing stopping you from rising up with the help of your fore-bearers, who probably had much less than you on a good day.  Learn from their heartiness and grow strong.  In the meantime, here is my contribution--a sort of first copper in the cap--this charm to bring new money:


Green river, golden sea
Money, money flows to me
To my pocket, to my stores
And every dime I spend brings more. 


Images from:

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The Magic of Charms

Author: Quill / Labels: ,

Normally I do a really long post of the magic of this or that, but this time--as is fitting for the subject--we're going to keep it short.

And that's the glorious thing about magical charms: they are short and memorable.  This means that you can use them when your hands are empty (having no tools or components), your hands are full (being overly busy or physically encumbered), or you're in the midst of a disaster so large that you're in danger of forgetting your own name let alone complex spells.  Grab that charm and go!

Now, before I hear any business out of you folks, let me make one thing perfectly clear: charms are spoken spells.  I am usually a lenient person, open to the various strange concepts that magical minds are capable of creating, and I don't offer much inspection or judgement.  But on this point I will be totally and completely unyielding.  Enchanted objects are not charms.  Spells are not charms.  Potions are not charms.  Talismans are not charms.

So now that that's out of the way, we can get to the goods.

The big deal about the spoken spell is in how it works.  Like a regular spell where you put together associations and objects of correspondence to build a beautiful distraction for the mind wherein the caster creates a new vision of reality (that's pretty much my definition, if you're tired of using Crowley's), charms are built on rhythm, rhyme, and poetic phrasing.  Yep, I'm asking a helluva lot out of a writer and I totally mean it.  Here's a basic guideline for great charms, whether researched from books, found online, or self-written:

They Choose Words Carefully
Because they are so short, they'll have to be pretty much perfect.  Be exceedingly careful of the words you use.  A halfway decent rhyme is better than a great one that is awkward.  And by awkward I'm talking about those phrases everyone has seen online: too many thee's and thou's for the author to handle, large words they're not entirely familiar with, and sentences so desperate to add the right rhyme (or, Gods help you, the ever popular last line of "so mote it be" that means you now only have three lines in which to state your case) that the arrangement makes no sense.

Besides being pleasing to the ear, good phrases are important because they're creating what you're saying. Don't make it labored or unclear.


They Have the Right Sound
The best charms are those that are fun to say.  They should have a plucky sound that feels exciting or comforting, depending upon the situation.  An exciting lyric stirs up something inside the caster; you can feel the change coming and you want to take any action that will hasten it along.  These are the energetic, focusing, get-things-done type of charms.  You can change a person's mind, get people out of your way, draw luck and attention, and make good things happen to you.  A comforting charm is one that helps you through the tough times, hugs you like a child, and says everything's going to be okay.  These are the relaxing, reassuring, and protecting charms.  You can fall into a sound sleep, heal injuries, soothe angry people or animals, and keep away danger.


They are Completely Distinct from Prayers and Words of Power
Even if your "word of power" is a phrase, it is still not a charm; it is its own distinct form of magic.  And invocations and other prayers to Gods and Goddesses are not charms, either, because they petition the power of something higher than yourself.  Chanting can be considered apart from charms because they work due to their repetition putting the caster into a trace state; charms are generally spoken once or twice only and no trance is induced.  It may seem arbitrary to categorize each of these but it is important for ensuring the use of the right magic for the right situation.  There will be times where you only need a word or two to enhance the force of an action (the legendary "magic word") and then there will be times where you need the assistance of powerful deities.  But if you're creating change that would go against the desires of a deity, don't bother to ask--get a charm and make it work under your own steam.


They are Short!
It may be obvious to most but keeping things concise is really important.  Four lines is pretty much the maximum you want to work with for a charm, unless you're going for something huge in which case you can go all out and make an entire ritual out of your words.  I've done so for stopping a destructive storm, helping a mother during labor, and dealing out one helluva curse.

Don't feel limited to just saying the obvious in your charms, either.  Whatever you can add that creates the right image or feeling will help considerably.  Toss in some imagery, set the scene, and turn a straightforward charm into something amazing.


Besides all this, the main reason to keep things short and rhyming is the same thing we've been taught since the beginning: these tricks are how our ancestors remembered them in the days before widespread literacy. If you don't want to have to run to your book every time you get in a sticky situation, you'd better make it stick in your brain first.  


So there you have a notably brief post exploring the best of spoken magic.  Today, try your hand at writing a charm or take a look at those written by others--especially the classics--to see how they did it.  Think on your favorite charms or the spoken parts of spells by your favorite authors.  Do my rules hold up?  Can you add any others?  Feel free to share your thoughts, additions, and/or best loved charms in the comments section.


Images from:
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What Kinds of Books Are Witches Really Seeking?

Author: Quill / Labels: ,

This is a question that I've been pondering for some time.  I find that it becomes all the more important at this time of year as we rapidly approach November and the National Novel Writer's Month (NaNoWriMo).


I have completed the challenge three times so far and with each manuscript I felt (as does every author, I'm sure) that it was the perfect remedy for what passes as literature on the lifeless bookstore shelves.  Now that I'm in the middle of seeking a publisher (yes, still) I'm wondering if I could have been horribly wrong.  So I think the best thing is to ask the book-hungry masses themselves--what is it you really want to see in print?  Where are you in your practice that hasn't been addressed?  What books need to be written?

I normally don't divulge information about my books, even to those who know me fairly well in person, but I'll give you here all that I can say.  My first NaNo win was with the manuscript I'm currently trying to get published.  I'm changing the title to something with a little more spice, so I don't even have one to offer you at the moment.  It's non-fiction, of course, about 250 pages plus illustrations.  The crux of the book is as a guide for intermediate to advanced practitioners who want to be connected to their surroundings, the land and its resources, and their communities both magical and mundane.  And all this is to further their magic. But we're not talking mental exercises and meditations to meet with the fairy queen; I prefer real-life instructions, getting your hands dirty, and actively working with everything available to you.

It's definitely a biased statement but I think this manuscript is amazing and needs to be on every occultist's shelf from the city walk-up to the country farmhouse.  I've been working on it, refining it, adding, subtracting, and shifting since I completed it in 2011.  But its information goes all the way back to the beginnings of my practice in 1996.  I would dearly love to see it in print, not so much for me but to see if my ideas might raise the level of discourse about advanced practices.

My second manuscript--which was, oddly enough, the first thing I wrote back in 2001--is a spellbook, The Book of Brass Mirrors.  It's 150 pages of all-new and unique spells, formulas, and charms.
Even at the time I knew that was cliche.  It seemed back then that everyone was working on their own "Book of Shadows" that would shock the world with its brilliance.  But I never claimed that.  My only claim to originality was that these were spells for odd situations, daily occurrences, and issues that don't neatly fit into the standard boxes of "love, money, health, protection, and power."  It was written with an eye toward the thrill of classical spells, an adoration of legends, and the feel of a talismanic book. 

I originally wrote it to pass down to my children.  That is still a worthy cause in my eyes and I would like to see my personal works remain in our family even if our children choose to stop practicing once they become adults.  But after this book was underway I began to think a little wider: I would share it with our coven...I would self-publish it and distribute it to our covenmates...I would make it the standard text of our coven...I would sell it to witches I know and travel to meet with new ones...--and finally--I would try to have it published and distributed by a real publishing house.

As you can see, my delusions grew to the point of so many other writers--"You will, nay, must love and adore and crave my book!  You will stare at the blank ceiling at night, sleepless without it!"  With a generous eye-roll to my former self, and maybe a little pat on her wildly optimistic head, I can say now that this is not at all the case.  I still think it's interesting, maybe even discussion-provoking, and I know firsthand that all of the spells in it work quite well, but it's not about to be one of those books that claims to be the only one you need.  I don't think any book in the world can truly manage that.

My third win was just last year and was a first for me--a 140 page work of fiction.  I wrote a selection of all new magical fairy tales, but with the same feel of the classics, called The Thousand Fruit Tree.  I can't say very much about it as a whole because each of the stories are so different that it's becoming something of an unruly collection.  I don't read fiction, either, so the likelihood for error in fundamental story construction may be dangerously high.  But the stories were great fun to write and, in true non-fiction writer fashion, each contains a unique and helpful magical moral.  I don't like things without a point.

But now summer is ticking away and fall is filling in its leftover spaces, making me think more and more about what my project will be this November.  I have several ideas in various stages of organization, but nothing that dazzles me right now.  And then I thought of it.  Perhaps you can tell me if it sounds worthy.

Many years ago I had a strange occurrence.  I was staying up late reading and working at magic, as I often did then, and I felt compelled to make a simple little book of folded paper and staple it.  Now here's something about me that you would only know if we met and managed to be under particular circumstances together: I absolutely love blank notebooks.  The idea that it's a book not written, a journal of experiences not yet felt, just thrills me.  It's like the missing eye of Wodan/Odin that sees the unmanifest of the world.  It's such a wonderful thought that I often keep a new notebook untouched for weeks before doing anything besides running a hand across its cover.

So, there I was, brand-new book in hand with nothing to put in it.  I laid it aside for another day but then suddenly picked it up again.  I flipped it open and started to write.  It all sounded great (which usually means that it will be, in the harsh light of day, absolute garbage) and I wrote without stopping for more than an hour. Then I went to bed.  When I woke up the next day I remembered the book and opened it to see how comical it might be.  But I was surprised to see that it was still decent information: multiple lists of exactly how to go about a complex task--attaining a preeminent status in the magical community.  When I had finished it the night before, I'd written with a flourish its title on the front: On Becoming a Legend.

This is definitely an overblown title--and may turn out to be an equally overblown book--but I think it's something to get the mind working.  Though the original is only 10 or so pages long, it might be a fun project to expand into this year's NaNoWriMo.  But now I leave it to you, reader.  I don't know if I'm really interested in continuing to write and write with no clear plans of what to do with the results.  It's pretty standard to see publishers openly state their disinterest in "revealed text," as this may be.  But I don't know what else to do with it besides sit on it.  So what do you think?  Are you interested in becoming a legend? Do you know a legend and are ready to prove me wrong?  I'm open to all opinions and suggestions, here and elsewhere.  And, naturally, I'm open to accepting writing partner requests from fellow NaNo-ers as I traverse the rocky road to November.




Images from:
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Your First Time is Always Special

Author: Quill / Labels: , ,

This is the story of magical firsts.  We've all got our tales, some treasured and some regretted, but the stories we keep of our early works of magic are especially telling of the casters we would later become.  They are lessons, experiments, and the basis of our own mythology.  Would you like to hear mine?



The Story of My First Spell

At age 16 I began reading spellbooks out of curiosity (and the freedom that comes with being socially disinterested as well as home-schooled).  I spent my days in libraries, thrift stores, and bookshops.  My classwork was something I dealt with on my own (my mother was not inclined to play Teacher or Book-keeper so I did it all myself) no earlier than 11:00 PM, so I had plenty of time to myself during the day.

Cruising through my favorite section of the library ("133.0-133.9" Oh, how the very numbers still thrill me...), I enjoyed titles about spirit contact, mysterious events, and the zodiac.  Then I saw, in white print on a black spine, the words What Witches Do.  What an exciting title!  I read it that day, took it home and read it again, not quite sure of what I was seeing.  The next time I made the long drive to the nearest chain bookstore (the only place in my area at the time to find a single working book on the occult) I passed over my usual poetry and art books in favor of seeking more like what I had found.  And I was amazed.

Shelves of books on witchcraft, divination, dreams, potion-making...on and on.  I bought a few of the most regrettable titles (one of which, I'm ashamed to say, was this brilliant work) and read them with excitement, but, notably, without casting a single spell.  I enjoyed only the idea of magic at that time; the thought of throwing myself into it was beyond my scope.

But then, one day, that scope widened and focused.  I would do it--I would cast a spell.  Not being in any predicament I could identify as desperate or dangerous, instead I chose to cast something fun and innocuous: I would capture a wild bird.  This comes from Sarah Lyddon Morrison's Modern Witch's Spellbook. On a bright summer day I sat in the side yard of my family home to work the spell.  Shaded by a Horse Chestnut tree and ushered on by distant birdsong, I mixed my carefully gathered rainwater with white sugar and poured the syrup into the only silver I owned: an old sugar bowl.  I plucked three long hairs from my head and laid them across its mouth.  Then the whole of it was arranged on a weathered old stump to await results.  I cast the spell with an eye for perfection, if not passion, but soon after began to droop.  The instructions said a little bird would come to you  if it happens to drink from your prepared cup.  If.  It was that rotten little "if" that did me in.  Evidently no bird drank or they drank but were not so inclined to be mine.  Oh well.  We would have had nothing for one another, anyway. To this day I have no idea what type of person would feel much inclination for this spell, and definitely no pressing need of it.


Afterward I discovered a few things:

  • Going through the steps is not enough.  Even if you are truly focused on the pleasure of doing "witchy stuff," as I was.
  • Spells must have a clear outcome.  Without a way of knowing if the spell has worked it is nearly pointless to cast it.
But I was not discouraged despite the failure; there was a lesson:

This experience taught me that I still had a lot to learn.  I believe that one's first spell should always teach that lesson!




The Story of My First Big Misfire

Now that makes it sound as though there have been many, but I will only (humbly) admit to a few.  This one, though, was impressively bad.  Enjoy!

I was about 17, a poet, short story writer, and newly-minted woodland oil painter.  I adored all things artistic so you can imagine my horror when after months of constant use I found the level of my creativity dropping. I don't recall the source, but I decided to cast a spell to increase my creativity.  The spell required gazing at a photo of yourself while chanting and picturing your immense creative powers at work.  Well, I got the gazing just fine and was impressed at my ability to stare and chant at the same time without thinking of anything else (I was still quite new, remember).  But with so much to juggle, I forgot to see myself doing anything.  I focused on my stationary image...and stationary I would remain.

I woke the next morning but I did not feel awake.  I walked through my house as though in a dream or like some Haitian zombie just dug from the grave.  I moaned, I growled, I stretched.  I thought I could shake it, but was mistaken.  And I remained mistaken for about two weeks.  After that, I was able to focus, make plans, drive a car, and speak at a normal rate.  Well done!

So by now you can see where I went wrong: I should have given attention to what activities I would be doing to express my creativity.  Instead of tapping a free-flowing power line of artistic ability, I was off the hook and dangling with a busy signal.  It was horrible.  Despite being able to look back on it and laugh now, at the time I thought it was the worst I'd ever felt in my life.  To be present but not aware?  To see but not observe?  It was maddening!

Afterward I discovered a few things:

  • "Gazing" and "boring a hole with your intent stare" are two different things.  Don't get carried away!
  • Magic can have impressively bad consequences.  
But I was not discouraged despite the unexpected outcome; there was a lesson:

This experience taught me that I would mess up eventually.  It's not a big deal.  But one's mistakes could be as directing as one's successes.  



The Story of My First Love Spell  

Age 18, engaged, and living in the city, I was a strange little country transplant.  It was an exciting time full of new people, and those people could all really use a little magic.  But as I was still "in the broom closet," I let only my very closest friends know my secret and--sometimes--how it could help them.  I saw it as a trial of my own potential because, in those days, everything felt equally possible.

A close friend wanted the opportunity for a relationship with my sister.  I knew how finicky she could be and saw instantly that without a ton of money or influence, she wouldn't give our kind-hearted friend a second glance.  So I used a talisman from Crone's Book of Charms and Spells by Valerie Worth. (Finally, I was on to spellbooks with some actual writing chops!  Sadly, Mrs. Worth was no witch and her husband denounced in her stead any magic therein, most notably the curses.  What a shame this was, especially as her spells work better than most!).  I gave one to our friend and a matching talisman to my sister, telling her it was for good luck and she was to keep it close at all times.  Perhaps this insistence came across as odd; my sister and I were more often at odds than anything and I had zero reasons to be concerned with her well-being or luck.  

But whatever she may have thought at the time, she kept it on her person for a month at least.  In only a day or two after the quiet evening of casting the spell that created these talismans, our friend announced that my sister had passionately kissed him in a spontaneous moment together, and now they were an item.  I was overjoyed!  Not only was our friend happy but my powers were excelling!  I had had plenty of experience with smaller works before this, of course, but not much that involved other people.  What a feather in the cap!

As I said, my sister must have kept the object for about a month because in that time she displayed a softness I'd never seen in her.  They had lengthy discussions and held hands constantly, went places together and made out at every opportunity (not to betray any modesty she may have had about it).  But as I would later learn, love spells cannot be counted on forever.  Her old attitudes began to resurface: stubborn, harsh, and aloof. The final straw was when she insisted he go square-dancing with her and he refused.  They broke it off soon after.  

What she felt about the relationship I will never know.  But our friend was happy just for the experience, even if it was a doomed one.  I, on the other hand, was mortified about the horrible Frankenstein I'd made of their relationship.  They never should have been together at all, and I felt sorry to have allowed even a day of it to be my fault.

Afterward I learned a few things:
  • Love spells should be as subtle as possible.  Don't allow a target to feel like a target.
  • Maintaining a poor match (as this was) takes constant vigilance.  For a good match, both parties must give each other incentives to uphold the relationship without outside influence.
  • A spellcaster shouldn't feel responsible for making a person's wishes come true.  When you do your job you should be proud of that, no matter how it plays out in a person's life.
But I was not discouraged despite the spell's impermanence; there was a lesson:

This experience taught me that a spell appears to only redirect a short span of the track; it's up to the individual concerned to keep their engine going on its new course.



The Story of My First Curse

And now we arrive at dessert--a dark, decadent dessert so sinful most writers prefer to present it only in fiction.  But let it be known that everything I describe here is completely true.  I did a most wicked thing and I'm proud of it.  But, then again, you should see the other guy...

The "other guy" in question is someone just barely close enough to my life now that I'd rather not name her.
But, rest assured, she completely deserved what happened to her.  Now, what I'm talking about here was not my first time pushing angry energy at a person nor my first time casting a Binding; no, the spell I gave to this target--let's call her Ms. T--was fully intended to hurt like hell and it did its job admirably.

This Ms. T had been playing her usual games with those close to me, acting most selfishly and twisting relationships so others would play along with her, until it came to a point that I could take no more.  It wasn't for me that I did this; I would much rather have given her a sock on the jaw if she had wronged me personally.  But she did involve me and that was good enough.  So I cast a brutal spell against her.

I was 20, a wife and new mother, and lady of our own house in a quiet little town.  I was more open about my witchcraft by this point but still discovering my limits.  Our neighbors knew what I was and granted me a wide birth when they saw me doing anything "weird."

It was a dark night when I cast the curse, cool and misty, and because I was dredging up misfortune, I took it outside of my happy little home.  Under the big tree in our yard, I carefully wrought the fairly elaborate spell.  By now I had learned a lot--my focus was spot-on, I knew just what I wanted, and I gave it a ton of energy for fuel.  In the midst of the spell, a tiny spider spun an invisible thread down from the crown of my head as I sat on the ground, hunched over my work.  Without missing a beat, I lifted it by the thread and replanted it to one side so I could focus on my task.  This, I thought, may be the witchiest thing I've ever done.  A very "Aunt Queenie" giggle escaped me.

When I was done, I went to the woods to bury the remains.  Though I'd been there countless times I somehow lost my way.  The fog was a thick blanket rolling along the ground and obscuring my bare feet. After wandering for a while, I found a spot where two paths met and dug a grave for my payload.  Then I stumbled home and promptly forgot about the whole matter.

It was a week later when I got the news--Ms. T and family (unpleasant, but not bad as her) were in the worst predicament of their lives.  Everyone around Ms. T had fallen horribly sick and it was up to her to take care of them, something she was never interested in nor equipped to do.  This came after a few days they spent out of state that failed miserably as a vacation--a bomb scare kept them all restricted to their hotel and they missed out on the chance to use expensive pre-purchased event tickets.  Ms. T then fell sick and could only combat her money woes by bartering household items for help from others. 

I laughed when I heard...except for the bomb.  That was scary to me and may have been a bit much.  But sometimes with magic one must simply accept how things turn out, even if it makes one look completely devoid of compassion.  But I considered the whole thing a rollicking success.  At the time, I thought it would--due to my unrefined enjoyment of it--be a secret I kept close and never revealed, but I have since openly retold the story with vigor.  It is, in a weird way, a jewel on my crown: ugly, it is true, but impressive in magnitude. 

Afterward I learned a few things:
  • One's first curse is a first like the rest.  It's not some black spot on your soul that you have tried what is forbidden by others.  If you were worried about that, you shouldn't be practicing witchcraft in the first place.
  • You must roll with the weird things that happen during spells.  They might actually help.  Let them! 
But I was not discouraged, despite the collateral damage; there was a lesson:

This experience taught me to do what needs doing, no matter what may come.  You will have to accept the results as your responsibility, but good or bad, it can't be helped.  It's just part of your story now.


All of these stories are a part of me, just as your stories are part of you.  They each have taught me valuable lessons and can be credited with making me the caster I am today.  Without such experiences--and without the awareness to listen to them--I would never have progressed.  



I would love to hear your stories!  Feel free to post tales of your magical exploits either below in the comments section, at Quill's Occult Supply on Etsy, or through the shop's Facebook page.  



Images from:
blogboogie.com
hipporacle.org
alisina.org



What's in a Spell Kit?

Author: Quill / Labels: , , ,

As you may have noticed from my posts on here as well as the obvious listing found at Quill's Occult Supply, I enjoy making and selling spell kits.  But I absolutely don't like the standard kits as found in retail stores. These are usually clear plastic bags containing a candle, vial of oil, a little crystal, and a sheet of instructions. You won't be finding anything like that here.

To be clear, I don't have any problem seeing these kinds of kits on store shelves, nor do I mind that it has become the typical "look" for a purchased kit.  Some shops find them to be the perfect addition to their offerings as a seller of magical goods, and just as many customers enjoy them as an easy and accessible first step into witchcraft.  But they're not for me and if you purchase a kit from my shop, they're obviously not for you either.

The thing is that I do perform small spells like this at times.  There's plenty of days in my home when magic looks like a dressed candle--maybe also dusted or carved--lit with a few words said over it. But it's free for me, quick and simple to work; I don't pay for it or save it for a special occasion.  It's a "quickie" spell for when I want results but it's not essential to throw myself into it.  No, when those times come along, I bring out the good stuff.

Big problems deserve big magic.  To give them less magic is to give their solution less energy than you have to offer.  It's like trying to put out a burning building with a watering can.  You can't just say that you're positive intentions will be enough to bolster your efforts; if you really had powerful intentions, you would have come out fully equipped with head to toe fireproof gear and a massive water hose in each hand.  That, for me, is how to handle magic.  And I do believe that even the less-experienced (the typical customers for spell kits) can handle that.  In fact, I believe they should be given the best we can offer because it's the inspiring pieces of spellwork that show beginners why the rest of us fell in love with witchcraft and why we continue in its difficult study.

Approaching Kit-Making
My spell kits are personalized to the customer's situation for this very reason.  I want to give each person a piece of creative, interesting, vivifying magic.  I want them to forget all about their problem in the face of the stunning beauty of its solution.  I want the empowerment of the moment to be all that there is, all that matters. And so I try to make my spell kits reflect this desire, and I do it through color, scent, sound, and touch.  A good spell should awaken the sleeping senses and once heightened, hold them a willing captive.  That's a tall order but I enjoy the process of attempting it every time.

As a small shop, I have a distinct advantage over larger retailers.  I have the time and resources to discuss a customer's issues with them before they make a purchase.  From these discussions I build a kit that reflects all aspects of their problem.  I don't have to simplify their needs into one word like "love" or "money."  I can be as elaborate as the situation deems necessary.  And I get to choose from a wide variety of spells!  I have quite a collection of spellbooks and classical grimoires from which to work, some of which are rarely touched for my own life.  I know how to concoct a large number of formulas from powders to potions, tinctures to washes.  I don't need to be limited to oil nor to the use of just a single formula.  I'm happy to be able to use my resources to discover the perfect spell tucked away in the pages.  What a pleasurable experience it is to land upon just that right angle, those right words, that right feeling that comes with the spell that was destined to heal your wounds!

Making a spell tailored to the customer can be a real art.  You might not like the idea of wearing a strange-looking talisman around your neck but you'd keep a hand-drawn seal inside your wallet.  I can do that.  You might have too many allergies to feel safe with formulas but you can use a poppet stuffed with hypoallergenic Thistle down.  I can make that happen.  I'm willing to work with a person's particulars to make sure their spell is just what they need and how they need it.  Pre-packaged kits cannot provide that.

The most intriguing aspect of spell kit creation (and, naturally, spellcasting itself) is that of problem solving.  I went into this a little with my post "Why I Sell Spell Kits and Not Spells" but it bears repeating.  The one making the kit is handing power to the one who actually has to cast the spell.  I don't want you to think that you are incapable without someone to do for you; I want you to work and know that what comes of it was by your hand.  Just because another person gives you the paint does not make them the one who creates a masterpiece.

But being the assistant can also be an intensely creative process, especially for a Capricorn like myself. I enjoy putting things to rights and nothing is better than organizing and tidying one's life until it is working smoothly again.  I have spent many years doing just that in my own life and now that things are fairly settled with me, it is a very good feeling to be busy again orchestrating for others.  How many wonderful spells I've been able to put to use that would never have been needed in my own life!  How many interesting and strange circumstances have we weathered together!  I've gained a lot of insight on humanity's real needs through this task and I think it has been one long lesson in compassion.  For that alone, I highly recommend it.

So, on to just what customers receive in their kits.  This, of course, varies a great deal depending on the gravity of the situation, the space or time restrictions of the caster, and their previous experience with magic. But in general, customers can expect a few standards from their order: a core spell, pre-spell items, post-spell items, and full instructions.

The core spell is the heart of the kit; it's why you came here.  Usually I give traditional spells but occasionally I'll use a self-written one that I've used at least 5 times in the past.  I only do that when the situation is really specific, though.  I would much rather you experience magic as it was intended to be, not my experiments.  If a traditional spell is just an okay choice, rather than an outstanding choice, I might bolster it with a few of my beloved formulas.

Next comes the things that will prepare the way for the spell casting.  This is often where we go into cleansings; most of the time when a person is having a lot of trouble--especially when it seems to shift from one aspect of life to another--a good cleansing can declutter one's world to make room for the good things the spell is designed to bring.  If it's a major issue, I'll suggest cleansing the individual, the home, and maybe even the workplace.  Other pre-spell items can be things such as handmade bath salts to prepare the caster for what's to come or mojo bags to constantly carry magic on one's person.  While these objects are starting their work this is a good time for the caster to gather any items only they can provide, such as personal artifacts of the target.  All of these things are discussed before the kit is created and are also clearly described in the directions.  I don't want there to be an uncomfortable waiting period between when the kit arrives and when you can start using it, so we'll begin as soon as possible.

Post-spell items are the additional formulas, talismans, and magical objects that will keep your goals on track and influence various side aspects of your situation.  If you need a spell to keep your husband faithful, a post-spell item could be to drive away home-wreckers, create harmony between the two of you, or make you extra enticing to him.  If you want a better job, post-spell items can eliminate competition and make you eloquent when you speak to bosses.

All kits come with detailed instructions, of course, but are also packaged with tissue paper in the color of your objective.  If you don't have an altar or other ritual space already, you can spread out the paper and cast upon it like an altar cloth to enhance its effectiveness.  Also note that I like to be in contact with customers before, during, and after their spell, if they so choose.  I can answer any question and offer tips as desired, up to a week afterward.  After that point, however, it's up to you to keep the magic rolling.  If you don't feel that you've gotten it straight by then, your best option is to watch and wait for changes to the situation before working on it in a different manner.    

Here are some of the kits I've made in the past.  One important note: while I consider myself to be a conscientious caster and I would never divulge a customer's personal information, I do feel comfortable sharing these kits with you for a few reasons.  First, none of them were made through Quill's Occult Supply. They each were done long before the shop was in business and so the names and dates won't be found online.  And second, just in case, I've changed any identifiable information to something neutral to protect the individuals' privacy.


Spell Kit to Curse an Enemy
  • Jack Ball kit and accompanying chants
  • Hot Foot powder
  • Herbal/sea salt cleansing bath
  • Curio roots Devil's Shoestring to protect and High John to maintain control

This kit was of a special nature: instead of being out of my hands entirely, the client was present at the casting of the core spell.  This gave him the chance to add his own focus to the work while not feeling overwhelmed by the possibility of accident that many newcomers have with their first curse.  He brought pieces of hair from the target and we wound it around a piece of Poke root before creating a Jack Ball around it.

Once the ball was complete, I gave it to him for safekeeping until he would be able to throw it onto the target's property.  I also offered an elaborate herbal cleansing bath to use after the deed was done.  This helped allay any fears that the curse would come home with him.  A few lucky items for him to keep and a bag of Hot Foot powder in case he saw the target again before the work was done, and the kit was complete.  His enemy ended up moving many hours away in disgrace after a messy break up and losing his job.  Believe me when I say that this person had it coming.

Spell Kit for Renewed Prosperity

  • Clearing incense and charcoal
  • Exorcism bath
  • Money Drawing powder
  • Fast Luck oil
  • Hand-dipped candles
  • Packet of Irish Moss
A long run of problems prevented this single mother from being able to get ahead in her finances.  In fact, at the time I talked to her, she was horribly behind and taking low-paying day jobs to make ends meet.  At the jobs she was berated and humiliated on a daily basis, but bore it for her child's sake.  I swore to give her all I could to help.

Because of the bad luck of the past, I started with a good cleansing all around.  Then easy-to-use dressed candles and a dusting of her house, inside and out.  Finally a packet of Moss under the front door to draw lasting money and not just fast cash.  She was very happy to receive the kit and heaved a sigh of relief that there was hope at last.  Unfortunately, I never discovered what happened to her.  I really wish I knew.



Spell Kit to Change One's Luck
  • Uncrossing spell
  • Talisman for achieving goals
  • Exorcism bath
  • Water of Notre Dame
  • Happy-Go-Lucky powder
This kit was full of the biggest luck-changers I have.  I really like talismans because they are so easy and immediate, and non-practitioners (like this individual) feel secure having something to look at and hold when uncertain.  

The client was not confident with casting, so I put the spell in the middle and focused instead on specific timing and order: take the bath in the prescribed way, cast the spell, then dust the body and surroundings all over with the powder, splash some Water of Notre Dame throughout the house, and finally put on the talisman.  Every day he wore a bit more of the Water and always kept the talisman.  Within a few days, his luck had turned around, a new job was forthcoming, and money and good news were rolling in.  

And, as a note, you won't find Happy-Go-Lucky powder in any book but my own; the recipe for this formula to turn around any situation can only be found in my as-yet unpublished manuscript, The Book of Brass Mirrors.  I hope to be able to share it with you all when it is ready. 



As you can see by this sampling, spell kits can take on strange forms if the occasion merits it.  There is so much more possible--and often so much more needed--than the standard candle-and-oil set can conjure. Of all my work, I think that making kits is one of the most challenging and rewarding.  To know the right thing to do, the right items to use, and the right way to apply force can be quite difficult.  But the results are always worth the effort.  Far from being a "cheat" to magic, kits are a great way to share traditional knowledge, increase a caster's ability and confidence, and help newcomers to have an authentic magical experience.  In an age with very few reliable and personal learning outlets for occult-minded individuals, digging one's hands into the work with a kit can be more informative than any book.

I would love to hear your experiences with making or buying spell kits.  Feel free to share in the comments section or message me privately at Quill's Occult Supply on Facebook or at my shop on Etsy.

And, naturally, if you are interested in finding out what I can offer you in a custom kit for your situation, see Quill's Occult Supply today.  Your information with remain confidential and your request handled with care and without discrimination.



Images from:
doctorboneslovespells.com
confessionsofcratywitches.blogspot.com


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